In contrast to the living herbaceous lycophytes, however, many were large trees up to 50 m tall.
Among the plant species employed, perennial herbaceous legumes intercropped with fruit trees present great potential for improving plant production in orchards5,6.
The seasonal rapid growth of the herbaceous understorey vegetation would further compound any deleterious effects of termite piping and/or poor tree health.
Pastoral mobility is also a key strategy to protect the environment as herbaceous vegetation recovers to a marked degree following rainfall and protection from herbivory.
Soil covered by perennial herbaceous legumes is generally more protected against erosion8.
Besides intercropping with fruit trees, perennial herbaceous legumes have also been used successfully as forage plants13,14.
The spectrum of host plants used by these colonies almost entirely consisted of small herbaceous species.
The diet of the young colonies mainly comprised herbaceous plants.
